NewsX starts dry run, aims to create news value for viewers

The dry run will assess the performance of the channel internally and will go on for at least a couple of weeks

News X, the & #BANNER1 & # English news channel from INX Media, started its 24 hour dry run from 6 am on February 9. Arup Ghosh, newsroom head, NewsX, says that the dry run will assess the performance of the channel internally and will go on for at least a couple of weeks. The final launch date of the channel is still to be decided, but a March date seems in order.

Clarifying on the controversy in which the news channel has been engulfed in recent weeks, Ghosh says, "It's a rumour that things are not happening as per schedule at NewsX. Although a few people have quit recently, there is nothing that has marred the order of things in the organisation. In fact, lots of senior professionals have showed their interest in joining the channel and we hope to announce some well known names in the coming days."

Arup Ghosh

The channel will target an elite SEC A, English speaking audience. Asked how the channel will differentiate itself from competitors, Ghosh says, "These days, most news channels concentrate so much on breaking news that they fail to focus on the value part of news. Our aim will be to distinguish the channel by adding news value for the viewers and thus breaking away from the clutter."

Talking about the news-features ratio in the NewsX programming, Ghosh says that news content will form the spinal cord of the programming. Other content, including news features, will be an offshoot of the main content. He would not comment on the details of the programming, but says they should be available by the end of this month.

The promotional campaign for NewsX will start in 10 prominent metro cities of the country by the end of February.